Technical Analyst, Vermilion Research

Joe Jasper

Technical Analyst

Technical and Quantitative Research

Vermilion Research

Vermilion’s objective is to deliver timely, actionable, and unique technical research to professional investors through the application of our various technical indicators.

Our research strategists seek to highlight securities which we believe are at major inflection points, based on our various technical and quantitative indicators, and offer asymmetric risk/return profiles. Our unique research methodology, centered on relative strength, enables our strategists to deliver superior investment recommendations.

Our process begins by organizing the universe of actively traded stocks into discrete sectors, then into industry groups. We then apply our technical and quantitative tools to identify developing price trends. Once attractive trends are identified within a selected sector or group, we screen for individual stocks which we believe offer the best risk/reward profile. We provide a historical perspective that often reveals, through our long-term charts, how price patterns often repeat themselves over time.

Technical Analysis

Nasdaq-100 Stock Index / Technical Analysis

<ul>
<li>We remain bullish (as of our 4/21/26 Compass) on the S&amp;P 500 (SPX), and we will stay that way as long as support at 7507-7580 holds.</li>
<li>We also remain bullish on Technology and A.I. areas (XLK, SOXX, DRAM), and we have Technology on watch for a potential upgrade to overweight.</li>
<li>The Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) and the XLK are both breaking out of their 4-month bases, a very bullish sign as long as $745 and $197 supports hold on any pullbacks.</li>
</ul>


We remain bullish (as of our 4/21/26 Compass) on the S&amp;P 500 (SPX), and we will stay that way as long as support at 7507-7580 holds.
We also remain bullish on Technology and A.I. areas (XLK, SOXX, DRAM), and we have Technology on watch for a potential upgrade to overweight.
The Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) and the XLK are both breaking out of their 4-month bases, a very bullish sign as long as $745 and $197 supports hold on any pullbacks.


Nasdaq 100 and Technology (XLK) With 4-Month Base Breakouts; Downgrading Staples to Underweight

Independent research on the U.S. markets, Baptista Research

Baptista Research

Independent research on the U.S. markets

Baptista Research is an independent financial research house focused on the U.S. markets. We provide equity research as well as credit research reports on the top-listed U.S. companies with most of our focus on technology, consumer goods and services, automobiles, industrials, oil and gas, pharma, and healthcare. Our research has served more than 3000 institutional investors including mutual funds, hedge funds, banks, family offices, and various buy-side firms. We operate a research subscription service where institutions, as well as retail investors, can have priority access to all our research. We also have a wide distribution of our research reports across some of the top global financial platforms. Apart from equity research and credit research, we also provide advisory services with respect to mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity/ venture capital fundraising, valuation reports, and investment management services for corporates.
Baptista Research is owned and managed by Ishan Majumdar, an ex-Venture Capitalist/ Investment Banker, a Chartered Accountant, and a Masters’ degree holder in Management from HEC Paris. Ishan has nearly a decade of experience in Mergers and Acquisitions, Leveraged Buyouts (LBOs), Venture Capital Investing, Corporate Strategy, and Valuation in front-office roles at the likes of BNP Paribas CIB, Credit Agricole CIB, Groupe Danone, and TIW Private Equity. He has worked on and closed multiple acquisition deals, leveraged buyouts, and start-up investment transactions.

Equity Bottom-Up

MSC Industrial Direct Co Inc / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul><li>MSC Industrial Supply reported fiscal second quarter sales of $918 million, reflecting a 2.9% year-over-year increase driven primarily by price benefits of approximately 6.6%, while volumes declined 4% compared to the prior year.</li><li>The company attributed volume weakness mainly to organizational changes in its sales structure, weather-related disruptions, and a partial government shutdown.</li><li>These changes included a significant consolidation of customer-facing roles, reducing overlap among sales representatives and aligning the sales and service organizations by geography and customer potential.</li></ul>

MSC Industrial Supply reported fiscal second quarter sales of $918 million, reflecting a 2.9% year-over-year increase driven primarily by price benefits of approximately 6.6%, while volumes declined 4% compared to the prior year.The company attributed volume weakness mainly to organizational changes in its sales structure, weather-related disruptions, and a partial government shutdown.These changes included a significant consolidation of customer-facing roles, reducing overlap among sales representatives and aligning the sales and service organizations by geography and customer potential.

MSC Industrial Direct Co. Inc.: End Market Stabilization And Customer Sentiment Signal A Demand Turnaround!

<ul><li>MSC Industrial Supply reported fiscal second quarter sales of $918 million, representing a 2.9% year-over-year increase driven primarily by price gains of approximately 6.6%, while volume declined 4%.</li><li>The volume contraction was partly influenced by seasonally low demand, weather disruptions, and the partial government shutdown.</li><li>The company undertook significant structural changes to its sales and service organization, including a reduction of about 130 customer-facing positions to simplify and geographically align its service model.</li></ul>

MSC Industrial Supply reported fiscal second quarter sales of $918 million, representing a 2.9% year-over-year increase driven primarily by price gains of approximately 6.6%, while volume declined 4%.The volume contraction was partly influenced by seasonally low demand, weather disruptions, and the partial government shutdown.The company undertook significant structural changes to its sales and service organization, including a reduction of about 130 customer-facing positions to simplify and geographically align its service model.

MSC Industrial Direct: Sales Force Overhaul & Volume Recovery—Is Growth Back on Track?

J Capital Research

Independent Insight Provider

J Capital Research, a U.S. company, publishes highly diligenced research reports on publicly traded companies, relying on deep, on-the-ground primary research. J Capital has particular expertise in the Chinese market, but we look at over-valued companies throughout the world. As an activist short- and long-research shop, when we form a clear view, we publish free, public reports to inform the investing public and never disguise our identity. We believe the internet has afforded an opportunity to small, unaffiliated investors to leapfrog the big banks, with their conflicts of interest, and obtain unbiased information on traded companies. We pride ourselves on our independence and the quality of our work. We hope the work speaks for itself.

<ul><li>We see trouble ahead for MSM, a lumbering distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations products and services.</li><li>The company has lost market share to competitors, which have increased revenue, margins, and operating cash flow over a decade, while the same measures at MSM have stagnated.</li><li>This sector, like most, has winners and losers. The evidence shows MSM has not been a winner.</li></ul>

We see trouble ahead for MSM, a lumbering distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations products and services.The company has lost market share to competitors, which have increased revenue, margins, and operating cash flow over a decade, while the same measures at MSM have stagnated.This sector, like most, has winners and losers. The evidence shows MSM has not been a winner.

MSC Industrial Direct (MSM): Weakest of the Pack

<ul><li>MSC Industrial Supply Company reported its fiscal 2025 fourth-quarter and full-year earnings results, which reflect a mix of strategic progress and ongoing challenges tied to macroeconomic conditions.</li><li>The company achieved a year-over-year daily sales growth of 2.7% in the fourth quarter, stemming from improvements in its core customer base, although it experienced a decrease of 1.3% for the full fiscal year due in part to macroeconomic pressures and a foreign exchange headwind.</li><li>Key initiatives for MSC Industrial Supply centered on high-touch solutions and digital transformation aimed at re-energizing its customer base.</li></ul>

MSC Industrial Supply Company reported its fiscal 2025 fourth-quarter and full-year earnings results, which reflect a mix of strategic progress and ongoing challenges tied to macroeconomic conditions.The company achieved a year-over-year daily sales growth of 2.7% in the fourth quarter, stemming from improvements in its core customer base, although it experienced a decrease of 1.3% for the full fiscal year due in part to macroeconomic pressures and a foreign exchange headwind.Key initiatives for MSC Industrial Supply centered on high-touch solutions and digital transformation aimed at re-energizing its customer base.

MSC Industrial Direct: Expansion of Inventory Management Solutions & Other Key Growth Levers!

United States

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. is a direct marketer and supplier of a broad range of metalworking and maintenance and repair supplies. The Company markets its products to industrial customers throughout the United States.

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MSC Industrial Direct Co Inc (MSM US)

Nasdaq 100 and Technology (XLK) With 4-Month Base Breakouts; Downgrading Staples to Underweight

Nasdaq 100 $QQQ and Technology $XLK With 4-Month Base Breakouts; That is bullish as long as supports of $745 on QQQ and $197 on XLK hold on any...

Vermilion Research

MSC Industrial Direct Co. Inc.: End Market Stabilization And Customer Sentiment Signal A Demand Turnaround!

MSC Industrial Supply reported fiscal second quarter sales of $918 million, reflecting a 2.9% year-over-year increase driven primarily by price...

Baptista Research

MSC Industrial Direct: Sales Force Overhaul & Volume Recovery—Is Growth Back on Track?

MSC Industrial Supply reported fiscal second quarter sales of $918 million, representing a 2.9% year-over-year increase driven primarily by price...

Baptista Research

MSC Industrial Direct (MSM): Weakest of the Pack

We see trouble ahead for MSM, a lumbering distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations products and services. The company has...

J Capital Research

MSC Industrial Direct: Expansion of Inventory Management Solutions & Other Key Growth Levers!

MSC Industrial Supply Company reported its fiscal 2025 fourth-quarter and full-year earnings results, which reflect a mix of strategic progress...

Baptista Research

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